Drop in the Ocean
by andeemae
Summary: Sometimes the small moments in life are just as important as the big ones. A collection of little moments, Marauders Era.
1. Not Helping

Disclaimer: It's JK Rowling's characters and world, I'm just playing with it. It's all hers, not mine.

**Not Helping**

"I just don't think this is the image I want to project on my first date," Remus frowned at the mirror.

It had been an epic mistake to ask the others for help. Thirteen year old boys were notoriously poor in the field of wooing thirteen year old girls. He knew, from his stiff pomaded hair down to his overly polished toes, that they were the absolute worst people to assist him in getting ready for his first date.

Sirius, who for some reason seemed to think he was the expert in all things hair related ("Just look at this mane!"), had molded Remus' hair into something reminiscent of one the horrible plastic styles of one of his mother's frightening doll collection. Peter had been in charge of gathering up ingredients for a cologne, a simple enough task one would think, but he'd come back with a variety of horrid smelling roots.

"Well, it says they smell better mixed together," he'd told them as he held his nose and dumped the contents of his little bag onto Sirius' bed.

"Don't put that there!" Sirius barked, immediately pushing the disgusting mess onto the floor.

"And you expect me to put that on to make myself more attractive, why exactly?" Remus pinched his nose.

"It'll be fine," James had assured him. Though putting on his dragon hide gloves to pick up the ingredients did little to add credence to his statement.

James had picked out the clothes, which, Remus admitted, weren't bad. In fact, each piece was, taken individually, actually not bad in his mind. It was the combination Remus was less than thrilled about.

The shoes were nice, just a touch too shiny, especially combined with the red plaid pants, and he was certain they were the same style he'd worn when his mother had taken him bowling when he was seven. He quite liked them. The jacket was a strange material, James called it 'crushed velvet', and was a little scratchy on the inside. James had bought it on summer holiday with his parents in muggle London, and he promised him it was quite popular among the non-magical community.

"And I've taken almost three months of Muggle Studies, Moony, I think I know what I'm talking about."

He and Sirius also claimed to have seen several muggle movies over the summer, including one they absolutely refused to even mention by name, and so claimed to know exactly what a muggle-born witch like Tracy Trevone would like.

Sirius clapped him on the back, "She'll be on you like bowtruckles on tree lice, mate."

Unless tree lice had started repelling bowtruckles, Remus felt the comparison was ill fitting.

Behind them there was a small explosion, James and Peter began coughing and gagging, then the curtain around Remus' bed burst into flames.

"Don't worry! We have it under control!" James shouted as he and Peter pulled the drape down and began stomping on it. A foul odor filled the room.

Remus pinched the bridge of his nose.

This was an epic mistake.

He was keeping the shoes though.


	2. Career Planning

Disclaimer: It's JK Rowling's characters and world, I'm just playing with it. It's all hers, not mine.

**Career Planning**

"But Marlene, we don't have to choose classes until the end of term!"

Marlene shook her head and shuffled the stacks of books around. Lily felt it was going to be a long night.

"It's very important, Lily, these choices will help determine our future!" She looked frantic, her blonde hair, normally so perfectly coifed, was in shambled around her head.

They were in the library, digging, almost literally, through stacks of books over all their prospective careers. The table was littered with literature over every conceivable occupation they could ever dream of, and a few Lily most definitely hadn't.

"You grew up in the wizarding world, Mar, how can you be so hopeless about all this?"

Marlene was from one of the old families. One of her ancestors, Boris or Barium or Bartholomew, had started an antique trading business back during the Dark Ages that prospered to the modern day. Respected and revered, they had money enough that if she so chose, Marlene would never have to work a day in her life. She didn't care though; she wanted to be her own person, something Lily respected. She would've respected it even _more_ if she'd waited to do her research closer to when they had Career Advice with Professor McGonagall.

Lily, herself, was excited about the prospect of a career in the magical world. The possibilities were as wide and varied as Lily could have ever imagined. When she had been little she'd thought she would maybe be a florist, like her mother, or a transcriptionist for a medical office, like her favorite great aunt, but now she had far more interesting prospects.

"I never put much thought into it," Marlene fretted. "But Ether was saying something about breaking away from tradition, maybe becoming a brewer for a potioneer, and Mary is already looking into working in the culinary arts, and Addy, Merlin's beard, she's been planning on being a healer since she was just a tiny thing-"

She's off, babbling like a brook, flipping through the worn pages in front of her and running her hands through her increasingly wild looking hair.

A figure appeared from the shelves, dark and billowing.

"'Lo, Sev."

Marlene froze mid rant and eyed Severus' warily. Her pale eyes flickered from his greasy hair to his faded robes then finally to his battered trainers, just barely peaking out from the hem of his robes. He'd gotten taller and his mother had mercifully bought him a new pair from the secondhand store.

"Lily," he gave her a weak smile. He wasn't fond of Marlene, nor any of Lily's friends really, and had probably been hoping to catch her alone.

He picked up a book and turned through the pages, examining it with a bored expression.

"Planning a life of cultivating Ashwinders, McKinnon?"

Marlene snatched the book from him, muttering, "I might be."

His mouth turned up in a cold kind of smile, "Family not want you lowering the company standards?"

It was a low blow. Marlene was sensitive about her grades, which weren't bad…they just were as fantastic as she felt they should be. They were average, which to Lily was fine. She'd been a mediocre student when she went to muggle schools, was still in a few of her magical studies. She saw nothing wrong with average.

"Severus," she gave him a sharp look. He could be so thoughtless of other people's feelings sometimes.

He frowned, apparently unaware he'd been rude. "My apologies, McKinnon."

Marlene gave him a cold look as a reply. The settle into a silent stare off.

Lily grasped for a way to break the ice between them. She finally settled on, "Have you thought what you'll do after graduation, Sev?"

He pulls his eyes from Marlene's, "Something in potions, I suppose."

They were both brilliant at potions, but Lily wasn't sure she wanted to exist solely in that field. Trapped in a dungeon or backroom brewing what could sometimes be smelly and caustic potions seemed a dim future to her.

"I've always like herbology," she told him with a smile. "And my mother is a florist so it's something she understands, sort of." She looked to Marlene, "I've read about some of the most famous ones and they travel all over the world finding new branches, and others that've discovered new magical properties for existing ones."

It was familiar and normal, but completely not.

Marlene nodded and reached out for another book, "That's so clever of you, Lily. Circes' pigs, why can't I be half as clever!"

Her frantic search restarted. Lily sighed and gave Severus a tight smile.

It was going to be a very long night.


	3. Seating Arrangement

Disclaimer: It's JK Rowling's characters and world, I'm just playing with it. It's all hers, not mine.

**Seating Arrangement **

James flicks one of the newt eyes at Sirius. It soars with precision, straight to the back of his head, sticking in his hair, and he doesn't even feel a thing.

_I wonder how many more I can get to stick before he notices?_

Quite a lot, he imagines.

Sirius is in a heavy discussion with Delilah Van, the Hufflepuff girl that has take up the seat in front of them for their sixth year of Potions. She's fair-headed and bubbly, always smiling. She's also sharp as a hippogriff beak and therefore a good resource to have in a class which requires the sort of tediousness James feels dominates Potions.

Not that either one of them is particularly bad at Potions. They excel at everything they do; they would tell anyone that would listen just that. Potions is simply not their_best_ subject. Everyone is bound to have one.

He's on his seventh newt eye when the door to Slughorn's dungeon classroom opens and Snape skulks in, his greasy hair in his beady little eyes. James frowns to himself, it would've been too much to hope the little blight would move to another country and save James from having to see his smug face for another year.

A few minutes pass and the door opens again, this time a group of Ravenclaws shuffle in. At the back of the group, listening to Ether Blishwick exhort the many wonderful uses of hippogriff dung, are the lone pair of Griffindor.

Addy, dark hair in a long plait down her back, crosses the room, past James and Sirius, to the seat diagonally and to the left of the boys. Where she'd sat for the previous five years.

She notices Sirius' newt eye covered hair, nods her approval to James, then sits. Her former table mate, Mary MacDonald, is no longer taking potions, so she throws her books into the empty seat. James flicks a newt eye at her, but she bats it away with a grin.

Lily is still standing with Ether, listening, the girl has moved on to a new wizarding band, but Lily isn't paying her much mind. She's eyeing the room with discomfort. Her gaze freezes and James follows the line of her vision.

Snape.

James notices Snape has left Lily's seat empty. The side of the table she had shared with him for the past five years of Potions is ready for her. It sits, cleaned and expectant of her arrival. Snape's eyes are wide, there's a sense of hopefulness in them as he holds her gaze.

Quickly, James scans the room. There are plenty of empty tables, the sixth year class is much smaller, more selective. Everyone can have their own table should they so want, and there are clearly a few who do. They, like Addy, have sat books in the empty seat and are spreading supplies out broadly, making it abundantly obvious they are more than happy to have the extra space.

Ether takes her leave of Lily, takes the seat next to the bubbly Delilah.

Lily still stands by the door, hesitantly scanning the room. James can see her examining the empty tables. Then her search ends at the back of the room and she sets her face in determination.

James assumes she's taking the vacancy over and up from he and Sirius when she breezes past him, a decision he's both happy and annoyed with. Happy he'd have a better view of her, and annoyed because Potions is enough of a bother without her so near him and being a distraction.

She doesn't turn up the row, though, but down.

"Can I sit with you, Adelaide?"

Addy has stretched her short legs out and propped them up on her books in Mary's old seat. She's silent for a moment, they're hardly friends, just seemed to tolerate one another most of the time.

James catches Lily glancing up to where Snape is sitting and Addy apparently does too. She frowns slightly, sighs, and kicks her books from the seat.

"Take it."

James notices, though, that she hadn't spread her supplies out. He wonders if she might've expected Lily to ask to share her table.

Lily smiles brightly as she places her books down and begins unloading her supplies.

It's a shock, her moving seats. James hadn't realized just how deep the rift between she and Snape was until now. She'd gone out of her way to find another seat.

No, not just another seat. Sitting at an empty table would've been one thing, Lily has chosen another occupied table, a table with another Griffindor. One near enough to James, and, okay, near Sirius too, that she might even have to ask to borrow supplies occasionally.

She's settled herself firmly on the side of a line that Snape won't cross.

Snape scowls at her back as she straightens her new table, turning roughly in his seat when she turns and looks up, catching him watching her. In a bit of a tantrum he begins spreading his things across his own table, now with an entire side for him to use for himself.

James' stomach sinks a bit.

He'd helped cause the rift, the destruction of the two's childhood friendship, and he feels more than little guilty at stealing what had been such an important relationship to Lily from her. Even if he didn't understand it in the least. He hadn't, though, forced Snape to say that awful thing, hadn't made him be friends with those pureblood fanatics, and hadn't made him choose them and their twisted views of muggleborns over Lily. Snape had made those decision all on his own, and now he's living with the consequences.

Sirius lets out a low whistle.

"That was a bit intense."

James nods.

Sirius sits back in his seat, propping it up on the back two legs. "Meant to make a statement, didn't she?"

"Yeah," James nods. "She did."

Sirius makes a gagging noise and James looks back at him. He pulls his hand from the back of his head, where he'd apparently been putting it during his relaxing, and examines it.

"Newt eyes?"

James gives him a look of complete innocence.

"How did you manage that?"


	4. Talk of Litters

Disclaimer: It's JK Rowling's characters and world, I'm just playing with it. It's all hers, not mine.

**Talk of Litters**

Sirius lets out a long sigh.

"Well, poor little bastard," he finally says after another minute of thought. "Looks just like James."

Remus closes his eyes and sighs. "If you value your ability to possibly procreate in the future you'll refrain from calling Lily's child anything but an 'adorable little angel' in her presence."

"Or a handsome little devil," Peter adds with a thoughtful nod.

They're standing along the wall, looking in at the rows of newborns lined up behind the glass, all swaddled in plain looking little blankets the hospital provided and hideous looking little knitted hats generously donated by little old ladies with too much time on their hands.

Lily had wanted to have the baby in the muggle hospital, despite the fact that everyone from Dumbledore down to Remus' own father had told her that a home birth would be much more secure, especially in the current states of the world.

"Dumbledore can have any house you like much safer than a hospital," Remus' father, Lyall, had told her.

Remus' mother, Hope, who'd been setting the table with the family's shabby dinner plates had given Lily a reassuring look. She'd taken up the position of mother after learning of both Lily's own parents' untimely deaths. "Whatever you do, love, everyone will be looking out for you."

That had been enough encouragement for Lily, having another person, a muggle like her own mother, tell her to follow her heart. She'd swiftly told James they were having their baby in the hospital.

"And that's final."

Remus had been a little wary of it, especially when he, Sirius, and Peter had been given the task of magically securing all the doors, exits and entrances, windows and laundry chute in the hospital.

"You lot were part of a clandestine group that wandered Hogwarts and Hogsmeade as well as the Forbidden Forest. Stealth and evasiveness are in your blood," James had told them. "I think you can handle locking a few doors and windows in a little muggle hospital."

Stealth and evasiveness were one thing, keeping Sirius from flirting with the aides and nurses as they masqueraded as maintenance was quite another.

"Will you keep you libido in check for five minutes so we can finish these protective enchantments?" Remus had grumbled. "This is the lives of your best friend, his wife, and your future god son we are talking about."

Sirius had rolled his eyes at that before quickly and quietly finishing off the spell right under Remus' nose. "Nag."

It had taken them, as well as a few of the other Order members, nearly a week to find all the cracks and crevices, points of entry, and stop them up. Remus envied the group that ended up at the Longbottoms' stately old manor. He doubted they were asked to mop up vomit in the hallway, as he'd been forced to do at least seven times during the course of the week.

Now though, looking through the glass at the perfect, healthy, and soundly snoring baby, Remus supposes it was all worth it.

"I might like one someday," Peter says as he smiles at a particularly chubby baby being rolled out of the nursery.

Sirius looks horrified, makes a gagging noise. "What for?"

Peter frowns in thought. "That's what people do, Sirius. They grow up, get married, have kids…"

That explanation doesn't seem to impress Sirius. "Well, I'm breaking from tradition. No marriage, no stinky brats, no growing up for me."

Remus rolls his eyes. "While I have no doubt you'll evade marriage, and I'm positive growing up is _well _beyond your grasp, I'm afraid one of these days you'll get a basket on your doorstop with at least one or two diaper wearing humans and a note pinned to their blankets telling you about the one beautiful, if abruptly short night, you and their mother spent together."

Just as Sirius opens his mouth, no doubt to say something vulgar, Peter begins giggling.

"Or a box of puppies," he manages to sputter out.

More at the look of absolute horror on Sirius' face than Peter's implications of how their friend spends his time in animagus form, Remus dissolves into laughter.

"There was that rather fetching stray that hung around the Hogs Head," Remus adds as he wipes at his eyes.

Peter's giggles intensify. "Oh, the mutt, the one that looked a bit like a corgi?"

Sirius makes a snarling noise and makes a grab for Peter's collar, but he ducks, sending Sirius into the wall, scrapping his knuckles and causing him to swear loudly.

A nurse with sharp features and hawkish eyes gives him a narrow look and presses her fingers to her lips, shushing him.

That, coupled with the particularly disgusted expression growing on Sirius' face, causes Remus to double over, wheezing with laughter.

It takes several minutes, and the frightening looking nurse threatening to toss them from the ward, for Peter and Remus to get their laughter under control. Even then a few bubbles of mad giggles still manage to escape them every few seconds.

"I hate both of you," Sirius mutters, crossing his arms and flopping against the wall to watch the particularly svelte nurse shuffle the babies in the window. "Half those rumors the two of _you _started."

Remus starts to point out that the other half Sirius and James had started, but holds his tongue. He supposes the idiot deserves at least one friend left.

Even if that friend had been the original source of his epic tales of sexual prowess.

When the last of the giggles burn off, Sirius' eyes cut over to Remus.

"What about you, Moony?"

Remus frowns. What about him?

Sirius arches one eyebrow. "Kids? You planning on a litter your own someday?"

For a second Remus stares past his friend, focuses his eyes on a father holding a particularly small girl up and pointing out her new brother or sister to her. Then he lets his eyes travel, settle on the rows of babies.

"Not really in my stars is it?"

He'll never get married, and he isn't planning on dropping off children like parting gifts to any number of unfortunate girls who might be willing and able to be with him without the promise of any long term commitment. Beyond that, he's an expert on his condition. There is no literature on whether lycanthropy can be passed from parent to child, it isn't something anyone is willing to put to test, or admit to at least. The chances are slim, but even a slim chance is a chance, and he won't curse a child the way he's been. He can't be that cruel. Even if they were normal, uninfected, he would never be able to provide for them, he can barely provide for himself.

Much as he'd love that life, a wife and children, a home and normalcy, his future had been sealed when he'd been bitten.

"But Addy said that fellow in the Werewolf Ward, Damocles or what not, was making that potion," Peter says, looking between Sirius and Remus. "She said he might have a cure…"

Remus sighs. Peter is always looking for escapes to the unpleasant.

"He might have something for the symptoms. There is no cure," Remus says finally.

Sirius' eyes follow Remus' line of sight, to the nursery, and he smiles. "But if they could get the symptoms under control then-"

"Then nothing," Remus snaps. "I'll still be-be what I _am_. I'll always be a vicious monster."

A mindless killing machine that has no business being around an innocent child, putting them through the same misery as him.

Sirius rolls his eyes so hard Remus is certain he'll need a headache curing potion before too long.

"Yes, Remus, you are truly a terror to behold," he takes a step around Remus, nudges Peter with his shoulder. "Watch out, Peter, he might try to give us a paper cut with some breastfeeding literature."

That gets Peter to snickering again.

Just as Remus is about to put a silencing spell over the both of them, or shoot one of the many wads of used chewing gum under the benches in the corner up their noses, a much more appealing option, something taps at them from the other side of the glass pane.

Grinning at them, almost manically, is James, hoisting the baby up and making it wave its chubby little fist at them.

"James!" Sirius laughs. "What are you doing in there? I thought they said it was staff only, that we had to be in the room to hold the baby?"

With a shrug, James shifts the baby.

"I used my charming personality and wit to convince them to let me in," he tells them, grinning.

"More like confounded one of them," Remus mutters to himself. He wouldn't be surprised if one of the poor nursery nurses turns up in a linen closet trying to bottle feed a mop head.

James shakes his head and feigns being wounded. "Remus, how can you think so little of me?" He waits a beat. "Lily did it."

Sirius lets out a loud, harsh bark of laughter. "That's our girl!"

That's not entirely surprising, Lily is astoundingly proficient at skirting the rules when she so feels. He also has every confidence that she would've secured the hospital much more efficiently than he, Sirius, Peter, and James ever could, even while pregnant.

Mostly Remus is just relieved to hear she's reverted to the Confudus Charm. The pregnancy had made her reliance on Densaugeo more alarming than anyone was willing to admit. If Remus' memory serves him correctly, at least Lily's confounding her will likely only result in the poor girl ending up down the street, at the little bakery, eating her weight in pastries, not booking an emergency appointment with a muggle tooth filer.

"So," Sirius moves on, his mind untroubled by whatever girl is now probably knees deep in cream filling, "what name have we decided on for the little imp? Elvendork?"

James actually looks disappointed. "No."

Sirius' eyes widen. "Not even for a middle name?"

"Also, sadly, no." James gives the baby an apologetic glance, as though its mother hadn't just saved it from a lifetime of being nickname 'Dork' Potter. If only Doras Meadowes parents had possessed such forethought.

James' expression brightens, though, as he shifts the baby in his arms, making him a little more visible through the glass. "We decided on 'Harry'."

_Maybe he shouldn't thank Lily just yet._

While Harry is definitely better than 'Elvendork', a name Remus had been certain James and Sirius had been making up and had no real attachment to other than to annoy Lily, 'Harry Potter' is bound to have some very obvious drawbacks, as far as names are concerned.

Remus decides not to point that out at the moment, though, when he sees the contented smile on James' face. He doesn't think he'll be enlightening his friend on how cruel schoolchildren can be, but giving him a refresher course can wait until he's had a little more time with the child he's dubbed with such an easily distorted name.

"Harry Sirius Potter," Sirius says, beaming at the now slumbering little Harry through the glass. "I like it."

"Haha, Sirius," James rolls his eyes. "Harry _James_ Potter."

Sirius shakes his head. "You couldn't even let the little ankle biter have an interesting middle name? Harry _James _Potter? Sounds like some muggle accountant."

James laughs, eyes twinkling back at his friends through the barrier between them. "I'll name the next one 'Paddy' in your honor, alright Padfoot?"

"Ah, 'Paddy Potter'," Sirius gives the name a theatrical amount of consideration. "I like it. I'll have papers drawn up this afternoon. Hold you to it."

"Lily might have something to say about that," Remus mutters out the side of his mouth to Peter who simply shrugs at his friends' apparent name pact.

They don't seem to care, just carry on, telling little Harry about all his future siblings, Paddy and Petra, and of course sweet little Lupina, numbering his fictitious siblings into the dozens before Remus casually mentions Sirius' undoubtedly numberless litters of puppies already in existence.

James looks delighted at the thought, and the look of utter disgust twisted up on Sirius' features.

"Hear that, Harry? You have little puppy cousins!" James gives Sirius a sharp look. "I suppose I should've looked into neutering you when we caught you with that twitchy looking witch when you went on holiday with us in the Pyrenees…"

"We were in France, James," Sirius tells him loftily. "Things happen in France and no one should be punished for that."

What things exactly 'happened' in France, Remus neither knows nor does he think he really wants to know. Knowing his friends, it's likely to be something Remus will need a memory charm to forget.

Or it'll be a complete fabrication.

And he'll still need a memory charm to sleep at night.

After ten minutes the lone nurse watching the babies finally has the chance to realize there's an unknown in her nursery and gets the hawk-eyed old nurse that had earlier threatened Sirius to kick James out, both threatening to ban him for the rest of Lily's stay if he entered again.

"Not if my wife has anything to say about that," James mumbles cryptically at them when they're out of earshot.

Remus presses his fingers to his temples.

One thing is for certain, in the unlikely event he ever has a child, he's not letting his friends anywhere near the kid. They're clearly bad influences.

And Lily will be in charge of securing the building. She's dangerous.


	5. Process of elimination

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all things connected to him belong to JK Rowling, I'm just playing with it. It's all hers, not mine.

**Process of elimination**

Lily frowned at her list of classes. There were just too many to choose from.

"Can we drop History of Magic?" Marlene McKinnon asked as she chewed the end of her quill thoughtfully.

"'Fraid not, Kinny. Core class. Someone apparently feels it teaches us something. Though what that is, aside from how to not absorb a single nugget of knowledge after seven years, I don't know." Adelaide Widdershins answered her.

Lily hated to agree with her, she was her least favorite dorm mate, but, really, she had a point.

History of Magic had done little more than teach Lily how to nap without drooling all over her papers and how to magically fold her notes with a whisper.

"What do you think we should take, Lily?"

Mary, chewing on her mousy hair, looked to Lily with wide worried eyes. She was a fellow muggle-born and often worried about making mistakes in regard to their adopted world. She looked to Lily as a fellow traveler in this often strange world.

"I don't know," Lily bit her lip.

"We should probably take Muggle Studies," Marlene told Adelaide.

"Why?" Adelaide wrinkled her nose, "I've got muggle neighbors. I want to study anything muggle I'll just go down the way and peak through their sitting room window."

Lily rolled her eyes. Purebloods could be dense sometimes.

"Staring at your neighbors isn't the same as Muggle Studies, Addy," Mary explained kindly. "You'd learn how we function without magic. You'd learn about electricity and cars and aeroplanes. Television. That kind of thing. You might find it interesting."

Adelaide arched an eyebrow at the other girl. "I don't see how I can't learn those things watching the Campbells."

Lily pressed her forehead to the table.

"Picked your classes, Lil?"

Lily looked up. Severus hovered just on the other side of the table, hesitant to sit with the clutch of Griffindor girls.

"Not yet, Sev, have you?"

He took it as an opening to sit. Adelaide, with a flicker upward of her eyes, moved over, closer to Mary, and let him take the place at the end.

He spread his sheet out on the table, smears present where he'd made tentative marks for possible choices.

"How about Study of Ancient Runes?"

Lily bit her lip, she'd considered it, but it sounded painfully difficult when she heard the older student talk about it, and even more painfully boring.

"Ick!" Marlene shook her blonde head. "You wouldn't like that, Lily. My older brother, Malone, took it and hated it. He said it made him break out in hives."

Lily was skeptical that a class could give someone hives, but nodded anyway.

_Alright, not Runes._

She surveyed the list, hoping something would jump out at her as the perfect choice.

"How about Care of Magical Creatures? We would get to be outside and see the things we've read about in real life…" Mary offered.

It seemed like as good a choice as any to Lily.

Severus scoffed, "Out with a bunch of animals in filthy stalls and pens? I don't think so."

Adelaide muttered something to Mary that sounded like 'how is that different than your dorm, Snively' and snickered. Mary tried not to, but was clearly forcing down a smile. Lily scowled at them.

"They could make us dissect a werewolf!" Marlene frowned at the paper.

"You can't dissect a werewolf, Marlene," Adelaide brandished her quill like a pointer. "They're _people. _Well, I guess you _could_, but there are some legal complications. Anyway, they're still people."

Baring possible dissection, Lily quite liked the sound of Care of Magical Creatures. She marked it down, noting Severus' frown as she did.

"Divination?" Mary asked.

Marlene shook her blonde head, "Prophecies and crystal balls are a ridiculous waste of time. Divination only has any credence if you let it."

Adelaide nodded her agreement. Severus looked thoughtful, but said nothing. Lily didn't know about that, but Marlene and Adelaide had more experience with wizarding prophecy than she did, so she assumed they would know a bit more about it.

Since Lily had no use for Muggle Studies, that left only one other choice.

Arithmancy it was then.


	6. Friends and enemies

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all things connected to him belong to JK Rowling, I'm just playing with it. It's all hers, not mine.

**Friends and enemies**

AN: I like the idea of James having a large family before the war, and so this story has a few of the OC's I created for his family. I find it hard to believe that both James' parents were only children, so consider these little additions to be James' first cousins once or twice removed on his mother's side. Also, this story ties a bit in with 'Seating arrangement' when Lily goes to sit with Addy.

#######

It had been the worst summer of Lily Evans' life.

The school year had ended with a painful, but inevitable, fight with her be-_ex_ best friend. A fight that had ended the friendship once and for all.

_You've chosen your way, I've chosen mine._

It was horrible; heart breaking, she and Severus Snape had been friends since before starting Hogwarts. He'd been her first tie to the magical world, and during the summer he'd been her tether to it. When she and Petunia had fought, he'd been there to listen, and more often than not offering less than helpful advice. She'd listened when he'd had problems at home, let him come for dinner more nights than not. They'd spent nearly every day they could in each other's company. Now, though, he was no longer a part of her life.

Physically, yes, he is there. The first few days of break he'd come by morning, noon, and night, begging her to talk to him, but she had nothing left to say. She'd warned her mother that she was no longer speaking to him and to _please_ not question it. Petunia, for the first time in years, was actually quite eager to help her sister, though it was more for the joy of turning out 'that freak' than any sisterly affection.

So Lily Evans went to work with her mother, went for long walks as far from the neighborhood as she could, anything to get herself away from the constant reminder of her failed friendship.

After exhausting all the avenues for staying away from home she gave it up and spent most of the summer holed up in her room, writing essays for school and sending increasingly desperate letters to her friend and dorm mate, Marlene McKinnon.

Marlene, who lived in London, is working an internship with her family's business in Russia and won't be back until late August. Despite the distance and Marlene's lack of advice, it's nice to vent to someone.

_It'll be okay, Lily…_

_He'll bugger off…_

_School will be back in soon…_

That last comfort did little to ease her mind. School meant potions, and potions meant Snape, and she isn't altogether certain she's ready to face that.

She can't sit with him, not like in all years past, and that thought alone adds to her anxiety.

Potions will be a solitary endeavor, she can see that now. She'll have to get used to doing things that used to be hers and Sev-_Snape's_ alone. Her friends won't always be there. Some things will be taken up among strangers and enemies, that's a simple fact, and one she'll have to live with.

Lily opens the latest letter from Marlene up and begins reading.

_Lily,_

_Sorry this letter is late; I've just been so busy! We've made some new acquirements and Grandfather let me make the appraisals! Of course he double checked me, but he said I was nearly spot on._

_I hope Snape isn't bothering you so much anymore. It's bad luck being stuck in the same dreadful place as him. Have you talked to Mary about visiting?_(She's in France, Lily thinks irritably)_ It would at least give you a break._

_Oh, Lily! I met the most handsome wizard today…_

The letter rambles on about the wizard, Ortho Something-or-another, and complains about the weather (_It's freezing!_) before closing with one last I'm-sorry-you're-stuck-there and _Lots of love, Marlene_.

Lily folds the letter and flops back across her bed. The bleak summer burning on.

#######

It's the first time Lily has ever ventured to Diagon Alley without Se_-Snape_. It's much lonelier, much less cheerful, without a friend.

Her mother had asked if she didn't want to wait for Marlene or Mary to come with her, but Lily had shaken her head. She needs to do it, just this once, on her own. So much of the road ahead of her looks to be empty without her former friend, and she needs to take this first step. She needs to learn independence.

Now, though, in the bright summer sun with her mother in the crowded ally, she isn't quite as sure.

They'd managed to maneuver through buying robes and refilling her potions supplies (a painful act in itself) before the stress of the day caught up with her mother. Dahlia Evans has been ill for many years now, and losing her husband just a short year and a half ago has only added to the stress.

"I'll just wait here," she smiles as she sits down on a bench near Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour.

"Mum," Lily sits next to her, "We can take a break."

"No," her mother shakes her head. "Sweetheart, just go finish getting your books. I'll be fine. Really."

Reluctantly, Lily heads off for Flourish and Blotts.

She loves shopping for her books. Her eyes glide over the shelves, searching for any additional reading when she feels eyes on her. Glancing over her shoulder, she barely catches sight of a flash of stringy hair before it ducks out of view. Her teeth grit down and she proceeds to ignore them.

They clearly don't take the hint; just continue to stare holes in the back of her head.

"If you don't mind I'd like to find my books in peace."

As she turns, her stalker emerges from behind a shelf of jinxes.

Snape is frowning, clutching a battered copy of their newest transfiguration book to his chest. "Lily…"

"Snape," she clips his name harshly and he flinches. "What do you want?"

His eyes plead. "You've ignored me all summer. I expected-I thought-we always go sho-"

"We aren't friends," Lily snaps, annoyed that he's managed to corner her after she'd avoided him all summer. "We don't, and we never will, go shopping together again."

It sounds cold to her ears, but she isn't going to give him false impressions. Their friendship ended on the sunny lawn of Hogwarts at the end of the last school year.

"But, Lil-" he reaches for her wrist and she jerks back, hitting her elbow on the shelf.

"Dammit!" She rubs her elbow and glares at Snape.

"Lily I'm sor-"

"Good summer, Lily?"

Snape freezes. Behind him a girl, dark hair and eyes, is leaned against the jinx shelf. When Snape turns to look at her she pushes off from the spot and saunters over to him, shaking her head, tossing her long ponytail over her shoulder. She brushes past Snape without so much as an acknowledgement.

"Good summer, Lily?" she asks again.

Lily rubs her elbow, shooting Snape an irritated look. "Yeah, fine."

One of her dark eyebrows arches up. "Alright."

The girl, Adelaide Widdershins, is one of Lily's dorm mates in Gryffindor. She's hardly a friend, not an enemy either, just a person Lily has never really gotten on well with.

There's no specific thing about her, not her demeanor, or her views, or even her defense of her stupid cousin, James, that makes Lily dislike her. She simply does.

At the moment, though, she's offering Lily an ally in an uncomfortable situation.

"Do you _mind_?" Snape asks sharply. "We're having a conversation here."

Adelaide crosses his arms and tosses a dark look at Snape. "Doesn't look so much like a conversation as harassment."

"I'm fine," Lily tells her, shooting Snape another annoyed look. "I'm leaving."

"Adieu, Snively." Adelaide waves her hand carelessly, not even looking back at Snape as she turns to go.

Lily stuffs the book she'd picked up back in the shelf and rushes off after her fellow Gryffindor before Snape can corner her again.

Adelaide is leaning against the counter, apparently waiting for Lily.

Quick as she can, Lily pays for her books and bustles out of the store behind the other girl.

"Thanks," Lily finally manages to say once they've safely cleared the book store.

"Don't mention it," Adelaide shrugs. She squints out into the crowd, apparently searching. "He lives near you, though, yeah? Bad luck, that. You've been givin' him the slip all summer?"

Lily nods. "Yeah."

"Why didn't ya bring McKinnon or MacDonald then? Best to do these things in groups if you're planning it proper."

"Marlene is in Russia and Mary is in France," Lily grumbles, still a little resentful of her two friends for their apparent abandonment.

"Not forever they aren't." Adelaide fixes her in an amused look. "August's only just started."

Certain her face is as red as her hair, Lily huffs, "Yes, well, I-jus-I, oh never mind!" The last person that would understand her need to be independent is Adelaide Widdershins.

Shifting her bags, Lily begins walking off. "Thanks for the help."

To her confusion Adelaide trots alongside her, oblivious to Lily's annoyance with her.

"I'm here meeting with the idiots on my lunch. I've got an internship at the hospital, did you know? Anyways, they're babysitting and school shopping. Quite the multitaskers."

Lily wants to groan in frustration. Of course she would be here with _them_. It's just Lily's rotten luck. As they walk on it became apparent they were both heading to the Ice Cream Parlour. More bad luck.

When they came upon the shop Lily's day became just that much worse.

"Oi, Evans!"

Standing on a chair in the garden in front of Florean Fortescues' is James Potter. He's waving a cone of strawberry and cream at her and grinning like an idiot.

"Got something of yours!"

At the table her mother is sitting with two of her least favorite people, James Potter and Sirius Black, both holding cones of ice cream in each hand.

Lily sees a hand, her mother's, shoot up next to him, waving at her and gesturing for her to come. Adelaide snorts at the disgusted look on Lily's face before leaving the redhead stewing.

"Oh, Lily, your friends came by and recognized me and offered me some ice cream," her mother explains, beaming, holding up a sundae smothered in chocolate.

Lily starts to tell her that James Potter and Sirius Black are absolutely not her friends, far from it, but the delighted expression on her mother's face stills her tongue. The destructive duo may annoy her, but they had a way with people, and her mother hadn't smiled as brightly as she was now in ages.

For her mother's sake, she'll tolerate them.

In her mother's arms is a wriggling bundle. She lifts it slightly to show Lily the baby, a happy, burbling thing with a mess of curly brown hair, gnawing on its fist.

Her first thought is that Potter and Black have stolen a baby, but she quickly brushes that thought away. Why on earth would they steal a baby?

"They're babysitting their little cousins. Isn't that sweet?"

It's less sweet and more mad, Lily thinks. No one in their right mind would put James Potter and Sirius Black in charge of another human life, let alone a child. Clearly this relative, whoever they are, is unaware just how irresponsible their chosen babysitters are.

Lily gives her mother a pained smile and silently prays for her to polish off the ice cream quickly. She wants no part in whatever disaster is undoubtedly brewing around the Gryffindor duo.

"Ay, prick and scruffy, where are the rest of the kids? You appear to be a few short." Adelaide turns on the spot, apparently looking for said 'kids'.

Potter and Black both look at her blankly.

"The kids. You know, yay tall-" she gestures lowly "-dirty, make high pitched wailing noises." she smiles to herself. "Rather like small versions of yourselves."

"Har, har, you are so witty." Sirius rolls his eyes and hands her what appears to be a raspberry cone.

James makes to hand Lily one of the strawberry cones he's holding and she considers refusing it when she sees her mother give her a look that plainly says 'you be nice, young lady'. With a grumbled thank you, Lily takes the cone. It's good, but she would eat a handful of powdered slug before she admitted it.

"Thalia wanted to go into that new shop with all the pink in the window," James points to a new, small window, just next to the ice cream shop, a look of revulsion on his face. "She took Euphrosyne with her, as well as Peter."

Adelaide rolls her eyes before heading off for the shop, which appears to have been coated in pink frosting and glitter, muttering to herself something about how she didn't know why Peter puts up with the two dunderheads.

"Animal magnetism!" Black shouts at her back.

She turns and glares at him, her lips twitching slightly. "Yeah, you certainly are a dog!"

The two boys howl with laughter as she stomps off.

Lily and her mother exchange a baffled look. Perhaps it's an inside joke. Lily forces a smile and slumps down into the seat next to her mother. The baby begins fussing.

"Shhh, it's alright, pumpkin," Lily's mother coos at the increasingly irritable baby.

Black reaches for the bundle. "She just wants her favorite cousin."

"Yeah," Potter chuckles, pushing Black back into his seat and scooping the baby into his own arms. "Calm down now, Aglaea."

The baby gurgles as Potter offers one of his fingers for her to chew on, seemingly content. If it were anyone but Potter, Lily might think it sweet.

"You're very good with her," Lily's mother fawns. Lily pretends not to hear, though she does agree. Potter is rather good with the baby.

"I have a lot of experience with semi-coherent beings that drool constantly and wear nappies."

"Is that a veiled criticism of my habits and hygiene?" Black shakes his hair out of his eyes and puts his nose in the air.

"It wasn't veiled," Potter replies smoothly.

Despite herself, Lily snorts into her ice cream.

A few minutes pass when Lily hears little chattering voices coming toward them.

Looking up, she spots Adelaide followed by Peter Pettigrew, carrying a pair of frilly, awful bags brimful with violently pink trinkets. He looks positively exhausted, sweaty and grim faced.

"James!" A little brown haired girl squeals, running toward the table and flinging herself at Potter, nearly knocking his ice cream out of his hand. She looks positively bursting to tell him all about her little adventure in the pink shop as she tries to pull herself into his lap, elbowing him as she does.

Far from looking annoyed, Potter's smile widens. He looks as though nothing in the world would make him happier than to hear every ecstatic word she has to say.

"I got a new pink cauldron and a pink toy wand with lace and…"

Her train of thought derails when she notices Lily and her mother.

"Who're you?"

Pulling her into his lap, shifting the baby to make room for her before Lily's mother scoops it from his arms, James grins. "This is Mrs. Evans and," his grin widens, "this is Lily Evans."

The little girl's mouth forms perfect 'o' and her eyes focus on Lily.

Confused, Lily's eyebrows knit together.

"And Lily, this charming young lady is my darling cousin, Thalia."

The little girl's eyes widen when Lily gives her a small smile.

The second girl, smaller than the other, but unmistakably her sister by the looks of her, shuffles to Black's leg and watches Lily with what Lily can only name as awe while her little thumb hovers in front of her mouth.

"You're Lily?" Thalia finally asks, looking a bit thunderstruck.

Still uncertain, Lily nods.

"The real Lily?"

"The one and only," Black assures her, reaching down and picking up the smaller girl, depositing her on his lap. "The fabulous, amazing, Lily Evans."

"James says you're really smart," Thalia tells her, squinting at Lily. "He says you're the smartest girl in school."

Her sister nods enthusiastically from her spot on Black's leg.

Lily feels a blush warm her cheeks. "Well, I don't know about that…"

"He said-he told-ed us you is the best at potions," the littler of the girls adds before her thumb plugs up her mouth.

"She's brilliant," Potter adds, grinning. Lily half wonders if he hadn't coached them, but then, how would he have known they were going to run into Lily today?

"Are you really a prefect?" Thalia asks, eyes still narrowed in suspicion.

"Er-yes."

Crawling from James' lap, Thalia scampers to Lily, eyes wide in admiration.

"Do you like school, then? Do you like being a prefect? Are you going to be Head Girl someday? Is-"

"Oi, Thalia," Adelaide interrupts, pushing a sundae toward her. "Eat up before it's all melted."

The sight of the soupy ice cream pulls Thalia's attention from Lily as she messily begins digging into her treat and is swiftly joined by her sister.

"Next time you two are supervising," Peter finally grumbles, pulling one of the melting sundaes to him. "My eyes hurt from the pink."

"Being blinded is the only explanation for_ this_." Potter holds up a lacy looking set of small play robes, a revolted expression etched on his face.

"I like those," Thalia tells him sternly, plucking the play robes from Potter's hand and dropping it into the bag behind her before returning to her sundae. "Peter's gonna play house with me when we get home."

Black lets out a bark of laughter and Peter's face flushes a deep shade of crimson.

"Better you than me mate." Black's grin widens. "Though maybe you can convince Moony to take your place."

At the mention of Remus' strange nickname, Lily looks around. "And where is the fourth musketeer?"

Potter and Black exchange a quick look before glancing to Adelaide, who seems more focused on keeping her ice cream from cascading over the edge of the bowl than the conversation.

"He's at St. Mungo's," James tells her. Lily thinks she sees something strange flicker in his eyes before his words register with her.

"What?" Lily sputters, a little loudly, causing her mother to startle and jostle the baby who begins crying again.

Her mother shoots her a dark look as Potter takes the baby back.

Lily feels a lump form in her stomach with worry about Remus.

Despite his disreputable friends, Lily quite likes Remus. He's quiet, friendly, and makes prefect duty tolerable when they're given less than desirable tasks.

He's often in the hospital wing, and more often than that looks drawn and pale...but actually being placed in the hospital? How ill is Remus really? Does this happen often during the summers?

Her mind, involuntarily, thinks of Snape and his wild theories before she shakes them away.

Remus, whatever his affliction, isn't some monster, like Snape is convinced.

"Oh, don't get your knickers in a knot, Evans," Black tells her.

"Remus is just visiting," Potter explains, not looking at her as he wipes pink and white residue from the smaller sister's face as she continues to shovel ice cream into her mouth. "Addy's mum is a healer, you know? He's just spending the day with her to see, you know, if he likes it. Maybe see a future in it."

Lily remembers, quite clearly, Remus mentioning his dislike of potions, how happy he was to be done with the subject after O.W.L's. She also, remembers Adelaide rattling off requirements for becoming a Healer. Potions is definitely a requirement.

They're lying, smoothly, but lying still. She just wishes she knew why.

Instead of calling them on it though, she just nods and watches Potter continue with his vain attempts to keep his cousins from becoming too sticky to touch.

"Speakin' of that," Adelaide suddenly says, dropping her napkin onto the table. "I need to be gettin' back to St. Mungo's, my lunch hour is up."

Lily's mother, mercifully, has finished her sundae, so Lily stands and brushes the crumbs of her cone from her lap. "We should be getting home too."

To her relief, her mother stands up, giving the baby still in Potter's arms a final tap on the nose then waves goodbye to the boys.

"I'll walk you to the Leaky Cauldron," Adelaide tells them brightly.

"Au revoir, Mrs. Evans," Black tells her, standing and taking a deep bow. "May your beauty cross paths with mine again soon."

Potter pushes him out of the way, thrusting the baby into Black's arms.

"It's been an absolute delight." He smiles broadly, reaching out and taking Lily's mother's hand and pressing a quick kiss to it.

"Oh, you boys!" Lily's mother's cheeks tinge pink.

"Goodbye, Mrs. Evans!" Peter calls out, waving a spoonful of melting ice cream at her. "Bye Lily!"

Thalia and her sister wave sticky hands at them as well before diving back into their treat.

Forcing a smile, more for her mother's benefit than anything else, Lily turns and heads off toward the Leaky Cauldron.

Adelaide trots along beside them, chatting to Lily's mother about her internship at St. Mungo's and being, overall, much more genial than Lily has ever known her to be.

While her mother is busy asking a million and one questions of Adelaide, Lily glances around.

There are clutches of older witches huddled around a crate of some awful looking roots, discussing something intensely. Beside them, a wizard is examining a pouch of a greenish powder. Then, to Lily's horror, she spots Snape, hook nose inches from powdered griffon talon.

She can almost hear him grumbling about the cost of it, the poor quality they sell the students.

"It's the dregs," he'd spit, eyeing the supplies irritably. "How are we supposed to make proper potions if we have to keep using substandard ingredients?"

A smile almost twitches up at the edges of her lips….almost.

Just as she'd told him at the end of the school year, just as she'd told him in Flourish and Blotts, they're not friends. They're nothing now.

As if feeling Lily's eyes on him, Snape looks up.

For several seconds their eyes stay locked, and Lily has the horrible sensation that he's about to come chase after her.

"Lily?" Her mother calls to her from several storefronts up. Lily must've stopped.

Shaking off the stupor of memories, Lily jogs to catch her mother and Adelaide.

When they get to the pub, Adelaide quietly tells Lily's mother goodbye.

She waits a beat, making sure Lily's mother is absorbed in studying the pub patrons, before giving Lily a small smile.

"Guess potions'll be a bit of an adventure, yeah?"

Lily nods, not really sure why she's suddenly wanting to discuss their upcoming academic year.

"I'm not really looking forward to it, to tell you the truth," Lily admits. Adventure or not, potions will put her too close to Snape, and she isn't sure how much more she can take of his doleful looks and pitiful apologies.

"Because of Snape," Adelaide points out, unnecessarily. "Yeah, I can see that." A small smile forms on her face. "You don't have to go it alone though."

Frowning, Lily studies her for a minute, unsure what she's getting at.

"Mary isn't taking potions this year."

Lily's frown deepens. "I know."

Finally the other girl looks down at her wrist.

"Ah, damn, got to go. 'Bout to be late."

She takes off for a corner where a small fire burns merrily, glancing over her shoulder and tossing out a 'See you in a few weeks then' to Lily before pulling a little pouch from her robes and jumping in the flames, vanishing in the blink of an eye.

For several long seconds Lily stares at the flames and turns Adelaide's seemingly random statement over in her head before a smile takes the place of her frown.

If a friend can become the enemy, then maybe someone who was-maybe not the enemy-hardly a friend, can become a friend.

Snape has chosen his path, and Lily has chosen hers, and the two will never diverge in a friendly way again.

Just as Snape's path had taken him away from her, maybe hers will take her toward new friends.

She can still be independent, but a little support in her new independence wouldn't hurt. Even if it comes from a surprising source.


	7. Bullies

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all things connected to him belong to JK Rowling, I'm just playing with it. It's all hers, not mine.

AN: I got this idea in my head a while ago and have been working on it since then. Finally forced myself to finish it today. I know Lily will probably come off as a little abrasive, but she's got a strong personality and given her view of the situation, I feel like it's understandable.

**Bullies**

James shifts in the hard wooden seat across from Professor McGonagall. She should really have the school invest in more comfortable chairs for her office. Unless she has to pay for her own furnishings…

He should really start a fund in that case. Maybe his parents can help.

In the seat beside him, looking perfectly at ease, Sirius yawns and slouches a little more to the left. The great prat actually looks like he might fall asleep.

"Would the two of you like to explain to me," Professor McGonagall begins, her thin eyebrows high on her forehead, clearly prepared for a brilliant story, "exactly what hex you used on Mr. Aubrey and why?"

For a moment James simply stares at her, feigning confusion, until Professor McGonagall makes an impatient noise. She knows them too well. Plus that absolute ninny probably pointed them out the second his swollen lips were down to their normal size.

"Well, you see, Professor, it was more a combination…" James smiles brightly. "And to be perfectly honest, Aubrey's head was already so big we didn't really think anyone would notice."

Sirius snorts, not even bothering to hide it.

"Mr. Potter," Professor McGonagall grinds her teeth, "this is hardly the time for jokes."

"Aubrey does have a rather large head, Professor," Sirius chimes in, looking entirely earnest.

Professor McGonagall turns her steely glare on him. "Mr. Black, you are _not_ helping."

Shrugging, Sirius simply smiles and continues to lounge, utterly untroubled by the ire directed his way.

"Why?" She snaps, her glare turning back to James. "What could've possibly possessed you to attack another student like that?"

Deflating, she truly looks defeated.

"The two of you are the brightest in your year. Why do you insist on being such trouble?"

"It comes very naturally," Sirius answers. "Also, Aubrey's a bit of a prat."

James aims a kick at Sirius' shin, silencing him and shooting a look his way that clearly tells him to keep his mouth shut.

Shifting her eyes to Sirius again, Professor McGonagall sighs.

"Mr. Aubrey is a Prefect."

"Doesn't stop him being a prat," Sirius points out, moving his foot before James can stomp on it.

Before Sirius accidentally outs them, James jumps in with their already perfectly constructed excuse.

"He cheated during the last quidditch match," he blurts out. "He nearly knocked Higgins off her broom."

Eyebrows arching higher, Professor McGonagall's lips go dangerously thin.

"I was there, I saw, and Bertram Aubrey was penalized for the foul." She narrows her eyes. "This is all about quidditch?"

She doesn't really look like she believes him, and James doesn't blame her. That match had been weeks ago, and despite Aubrey being a dirty cheater, Ravenclaw had still been smashed when James made a rather daring and spectacular score, if he did say so himself. Which he did.

The Seeker might've made a good catch too, but James hadn't really been paying her that much attention.

Still, it's best to let Professor McGonagall think James and Sirius are being petty, rather than admit the truth that they'd been running around school grounds, sneaking through tunnels that no one apparently knew existed to smuggle in sweets, and heard Bertram Aubrey committing an act of rudeness against Peter. Rudeness Peter was unfortunately there to hear.

"The great lump can't even hold his wand right for an engorgement charm," Aubrey chuckled to his friend, a boy so dim-witted James isn't sure how he made it into Ravenclaw. "And Flitwick has me tutoring him every Wednesday."

James had physically had to hold Sirius back as they'd listened to Aubrey do cruelly accurate imitations of Peter's wand work.

Peter had simply slouched lower under the invisibility cloak, his round face more miserable with each passing second.

Both James and Sirius had been working with their friend, to the best of their abilities, to improve his skill, but it just hadn't been enough. They simply didn't have the patience or the focus to be a great deal of help.

"Professor Flitwick just wants me to remediate a little," he'd embarrassedly explained to his three best friends only weeks before. "And Bertram is the best in his year."

For the past few weeks, Peter had dutifully gone to his tutoring, and come back beaming at his improvements.

"I've finally gotten _Diffindo_ down," he'd happily told them, pointing his wand at one of Remus' already battered books, shearing the cover off it.

"Really good, Peter," Remus had congratulated him. "But could you destroy either James or Sirius' things. Mine are already rough as it is."

Peter and turned bright red at that and attempted to mend the book, only succeeding in further unbinding it to the point that it had taken Remus, James, and Sirius' combined efforts to right it.

Despite thinking that given time they could help Peter just as well as some Prefect prat, James and Sirius had accepted that Peter was improving under his tutelage, and Peter seemed to like him.

"He's really nice, and patient, and-"

"And you'll be announcing your engagement any day now?" Sirius had cut him off, looking bored and a little annoyed. "He's not much of a looker, mate."

Peter had toned down his praise after that, but it was still clear he idolized his new so-called friend.

To hear someone he respected so much bashing him was beyond the pale for James and Sirius. They wouldn't stand for it.

Telling a Professor wasn't an option, not for them.

First, they didn't want to explain themselves. Second, they didn't want to embarrass Peter more.

"You know, I'm pretty sure the teachers would know how to handle this without upsetting Peter more," Remus had pointed out, when they'd told them their brilliant plan to test out their reinvented engorgement charm on Aubrey. "And somehow I doubt they'd be shocked you overheard something. You do have the uncanny ability to be places you ought not be. "

They'd ignored him, of course. Remus might be smart, but he clearly didn't know how these things work. Some things have to be handled internally.

"Internally?" Remus had started at them disbelieving. "Have you been watching those muggle shows again?"

They might have, but that didn't change matters.

So they'd done reconnaissance on Aubrey Bertram, tracked his movements, and found his weak point.

"Visits the toilets on the fifth floor every Wednesday before going to your friend's tutoring session," a little first year they'd had tailing Aubrey told them. "He drinks too much pumpkin juice at lunch. It gives some people the-"

"That's good," James cut him off. They didn't need information over the digestive troubles brought on by over consumption of pumpkin juice.

They'd given him another week, another week where they'd watched Peter's confidence dwindle further, then hidden behind the door, wands out, and waited.

The hex they'd created worked well. Aubrey's nose and lips had swollen, like he'd been hit with a stinging jinx, which had been part of the jumble, and then his head had grown twice as large, like a balloon. His eyes had been not much more than slits, hidden behind his bulbous nose, and if they hadn't started laughing, he probably wouldn't have been able to name them.

Still, it had been worth it.

"Absolutely, quidditch," James nods.

"Why? What's ickle Berty say it's over?" Sirius asks, eyes narrowed, probably already planning the next round of retaliation.

"Mr. Aubrey isn't saying much of anything," Professor McGonagall tells them coolly. "His lips are still swollen shut."

The boys exchange a confused look.

"Miss Evans and Mr. Snape saw the pair of you 'fleeing the scene of the crime', so to speak," she explains.

James thinks he hears Sirius' teeth crack.

For some reason, James' insides roll at the revelation.

"Well, if you won't tell me why you really hexed Bertram," Professor McGonagall huffs. "You'll just have to take double detention."

"Double?" Sirius groans. "We didn't even get double detention when we locked Snivellus in that toilet while it was exploding."

"His name is Severus, young man, and maybe you should have," Professor McGonagall says sharply. "And you will go to the hospital wing and tell Madam Pomfrey the hex, jinx, or combination of such that you used so that we can fix what you've done."

#######

"Ah well, it was worth it," Sirius sighs as they walk back to Gryffindor Tower from the hospital wing.

"Agreed," James nods.

They climb through the portrait hole and head toward the stairs, stopping when they hear Peter's squeaky voice shouting at them from the fireplace.

"Flitwick said I don't have to go to tutoring anymore," he excitedly tells them. "He says I've caught up, and with friends as smart as you I should be able to stay that way."

"Or he doesn't want one of his students having to help the friend of the boys who accosted him," someone snaps.

Lily Evans glares at them from her seat, looking thoroughly put out at the sight of them.

"I can't believe they didn't expel you."

"Disappointed?" Sirius asks, voice dripping with disdain for her.

"You're a-a big bully," she huffs. "That was awful, what you did to Bertram."

"Nothing he didn't deserve," Sirius shoots back.

"Besides, we improved his looks. His girlfriend will be right pleased," James adds.

"You could've really hurt him!" She rounds on Peter. "Bertram's been helping you. I'd think you'd at least feel awful you dear friends picked on him."

Before Peter can stutter a response, Sirius snaps.

"Picking on him? In case you haven't noticed, dear ole Berty is a fifth year and we're second."

Lily scowls. "Doesn't change the facts."

Stepping between them, James gives Lily his most winning smile.

"Come on now, Evans, do you really think we'd hex a fifth year without a good reason?"

Judging by her unimpressed expression, which bares an uncanny resemblance to Professor McGonagall's, the answer is yes.

"Well, then," she crosses her arms. "What's this 'good reason'? I'm sure it's a real gem."

James' mouth opens, and for one irrational second he wants to tell her the truth. For half a moment he wants her to see that he's a good guy who's just dealt out a hand of justice on someone that wronged his friend.

Then his senses catch up with him,

"Quidditch."

It sounds twice as ridiculous saying it to her as it had when he'd said it to Professor McGonagall, though James can't quite pin down why. He suddenly wishes they'd come up with a better excuse.

Lily's eyebrows disappear into her fringe. "Quidditch?" She rolls her eyes. "Amazing."

"Just because you don't understand the honor in a game of quidditch doesn't make it less of a reason," Sirius loftily tells her, his nose rising.

Since Sirius barely pays attention to quidditch, even when Gryffindor is playing, it doesn't hit the mark quite as hard as he probably hopes it has.

Turning to Peter, Lily huffs.

"Bertram helped you."

Peter, a little pale and quite sweaty, looks to James and Sirius then to the floor.

"James and Sirius are my friends," he says simply.

"He never needed that idiots help anyways," James quickly adds. "He'd've done well all on his own."

...or with extensive help from James and Sirius, if they could focus long enough.

With one last huff of disgust, Lily turns on her heels and stomps back to where Marlene McKinnon and Mary McDonald are waiting for her on the corner.

James watches her flounce down beside Marlene, begin animatedly complaining about James and Sirius, for several seconds before he hears his name coming from behind him.

"You really think I'd've caught up without Bertram's help?" Peter asks, his watery eyes fixed on James.

Truthfully, no, but that's hardly the thing to say to one of your best mates that's already got confidence problems.

"Course," he answers, forcing an honest smile onto his face. "You've got me and Sirius, haven't you? And we're brilliant."

Sirius punches him in the shoulder.

"Yeah, and with our," he glances around, entirely too obviously, "_extracurricular _activities, you'll be better than Ole Flitwick soon enough."

"You'll be tutoring," James adds. "And do a damn sight better at it than Bertram Aubrey."

Peter grins, and though James doubts he believes half of what they just said, hearing it seems to do him good.

Throwing an arm over Peter's shoulder, James steers him up the stairs.

"Let's go get something to eat."

Remus will be back tomorrow night and they need to sneak out and gather provisions for him. A nice hunk of Honeyduke's finest chocolate ought to do him good.

He'll need his energy to properly chastise them when he hears their punishment for testing out their little hex on that berk.

"And remind me to write my mum. Professor McGonagall deserves some new chairs."

"Agreed," Sirius quickly says, making a face and rubbing his backside. "I think I got splinters from those old things."

And James has the feeling he and Sirius will be sitting across from their head of house a lot in the coming years. They should at least be comfortable.


	8. A New Light

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all things connected to him belong to JK Rowling, I'm just playing with it. It's all hers, not mine.

**A New Light**

Lily stifles her laughter as James pulls her down the corridor, stopping at a corner and peaking around it.

She shouldn't have let him talk her into sneaking out, but he'd looked so excited to show her something that she hadn't had the heart to tell him no.

He's grown on her these past few months, and she's actually a little excited to see what's got him so giddy.

Besides, it's her birthday. She feels a little entitled to some fun, and who better to help her do that than the embodiment of reckless abandon himself?

"Clear," he tells her, grabbing her hand and yanking her with him, running past several snoring suits of armor. "Just a little further."

They skid to a stop along a stretch of blank wall, the moonlight casting their shadows long against the ground as it filters in through the window at their backs.

"Close your eyes," James whispers as he takes her by the shoulders and turns her away from the wall.

"Why?" She asks, trying to turn. She isn't sure she trusts him behind her back just yet.

"Trust me," he answers, his grin a little too mischievous for comfort as he turns her away again. "Have I ever steered you wrong?"

The simple answer is yes, multiple times, but Lily doesn't bring that up. It's been a long time since James has done anything truly noteworthy.

It isn't fair to count him giving her ground bowtrunkle during potions. That had only made her potion turn into a sweet smelling perfume that Professor Slughorn had simply thought was a great invention of his favorite pupil.

"Did you know it would do that?" Lily asked him after class.

James just grinned. "I had an idea."

"What was that smell?"

He shrugged. "Lillies."

Giving James a stern little glare, Lily closes her eyes and crosses her arms.

"So help me, James Potter, if I get doused in anything foul, I will kill you."

Chuckling, James brushes past her, his footsteps echoing as he paces behind her before finally Lily hears the unmistakable creaking of a door.

Turning, she finds James smiling, holding open a door that had most definitely not been there just seconds ago.

It's rounded, a bit like she's always imagined a hobbit's door to be, squishy and inviting. Through the doorway a warm yellow light shines out, battling back the silver moonlight in the hallway.

"Come on," he beckons her, gesturing to the door.

Frowning, Lily takes a step toward the entry and peaks in.

Inside she sees lanterns floating gently in air, burning warmly with candle light over what looks to be a grassy hill.

It's impossible, but then, Hogwarts has been full of impossible things since she arrived six years ago. What's one more?

Grabbing her hand, James drags her inside and pulls the door shut behind them.

Lily looks up, finds a starry sky where the ceiling should be, cloudless and glittering down at her. "How did you make this?"

"I didn't, actually." His eyes drop from the sky to Lily. "I-uh-well, Sirius and I, we found it a few years ago."

Eyebrow quirking up, Lily snorts. "What exactly do the two of you do with it? Is there not enough grounds for you to muck about on outside?"

A little chuckle rumbles in his chest and Lily has to fight off the odd flip-flop her insides do at the sound of it.

"Ah, dear, sweet Lily, you don't see the magic here, do you?"

"James…"

"This room isn't a lawn, it isn't outside or inside. It's not even always here, truth be told." He waves his hand around. "The house elves call it the 'Come and Go Room'. We use it as a study hall."

Lily's lips tug up into an amused smile. "Study? You study?"

"Remus does, occasionally." He runs a hand through his hair, mussing the back wildly. "And Peter."

Laughing, Lily walks further in, trying to take in all the details.

It has the smell of earth after a heavy rain, clean and fresh, and she can hear a little brook running somewhere in the distance. Whatever the room is, it's quite the wonder.

James steps up beside her and pulls out his wand, waves it at the lanterns, snuffing them all noiselessly out.

He waves it again and a quilt, Griffindor crimson and gold, materializes in front of them and floats softly to the ground.

"Take a seat."

Rolling her eyes, Lily drops cross legged onto the quilt as James settles in beside her and pulls a basket from his school bag.

"Did you put an extension charm on your book bag?"

It's rather advanced, even for a sixth year, and strictly controlled. Still, it's impressive, and she wonders just what other charms and spells he's been practicing behind everyone's back. Loads probably, and with his knack for success, he's probably mastered most of them.

Shrugging, James pushes it away and sets the basket between them, opening it and pulling a treacle tart from inside.

"Your favorite, I believe."

It is, though she doesn't think her preferred afters has ever come up in any of their conversations.

Eyeing the treat suspiciously, Lily frowns. "Did you nick this from the kitchen?"

"Of course not." James presses a hand to his chest, feigning injury. "You wound me, Evans." He grins. "I had Sirius nick it."

"Oh very nice," Lily says with a roll of her eyes, battling down a grin.

"Ah, he was going to the kitchen already, and honestly it's not like it's a real challenge. Those house elves practically stuff things in your pockets for you," he tells her, waving a hand airily. "It'd be more work to get out of there without food."

Though Lily doubts that's a challenge James nor any of his friends has ever taken up.

"Just eat it," he finally says, handing her a fork.

They sit in silence for a few minutes, the tart vanishing, James making sure she gets the dragon's share, before he prompts her to lay back on the blanket.

The stars are brighter than they would be outside, and Lily supposes it's from the lack of city lights dimming them. They can shine down without competition from the midnight sky.

Plus, she thinks with a grin, they're magic stars.

James waves a hand at the sky. "Do you know what this is?"

She frowns, nose wrinkling up as she thinks. "Well, I'd think it's the same enchantment as the Great Hall. Modified, though, becau-"

"No-No, not that," James cuts her off, propping himself up on his elbows and looking over at her. "_These_ stars."

Not understanding, she shakes her head and waits for him to illuminate her. He's never passed up a chance to show off.

His face gets a little darker, and Lily thinks he might be blushing if not for the fact that James Potter never blushes, before he shrugs.

"It's your birthday sky."

Staring at him for a moment, Lily finally realizes what he's said.

She looks up at the twinkling stars in the inky sky above her and her eyes widen.

"My birthday sky?"

"Yeah," James mutters, sitting up, his hand jumping to his hair again. "I-uh-I researched it. Remus helped me. He's slightly better at star chart and all that..."

He looks to be having second thoughts about his efforts now though.

"You researched the position of all the stars for my birthday and year?" Lily smiles. "That's...really nice of you."

Looking at her, his lips tug up into a small smile.

"It was, wasn't it?" He points up, seeming to regain a little of his normal bravado. "See that right there? It's Venus, and its position in the sky seventeen years ago today tells me that you were destined to have a date with a devilishly handsome man at the end of your seventeenth birthday."

Lily snorts. "You didn't even try to make that sound authentic."

James sighs dramatically. "What can I say? Astrology wasn't my best subject."

"James, you didn't take divination."

"Ah well, there you go then. That explains quite a lot right there." Flopping back down, he grins. "It was a good try though, yeah?"

"Absolutely brilliant," Lily agrees, rolling her eyes.

Laying back on the blanket, she sighs and studies 'her sky'.

He might be lying, and if he were any other boy she'd say he was. It's just that outlandish.

But he's James Potter. Grand gestures are what he lives and breathes for. Of course he'd actually put in all the hours to meticulously recreate the night sky as it had been on her birthday.

He'd probably put a lot of time in on it, actually. Astronomy charts are finicky and tiresome, even if Remus had helped him.

Lily feels her cheeks warm as she imagines James spending precious hours mapping out constellations, just for her, not even knowing if she'd agree to sneak out. It was quite the undertaking without any assurance she'd even see the effort.

"You know, if you dated me, this is the kind of high quality, thoughtful dates you can look forward to."

Lily groans.

"You just had to ruin it didn't you?"

"I can't help myself," he confesses. "I get near you and I just lose my wits. It's a sickness really."

Huffing, Lily rolls to her side and looks at him.

His eyes are still on the stars overhead. He isn't smirking, not his normal, obnoxiously confident grin, but has only the smallest smile on his face. It's almost sad, a little worried.

Reaching out, Lily turns his face to hers, sighing.

James isn't as bad as she's always made him out to be.

He might be a bit reckless, a show off, irritating at times, but he's got a good heart, and she's seen more of it in the last half year than she did in all the last five years combined.

Maybe her friends are right and Sev-_Snape_ had blinded her with his own dislike. Or maybe James has just grown up a little. Either way, he isn't the same boy in her eyes that he's been in the past.

Maybe he's earned a chance.

"Well, is this sickness deadly?"

"Terminal," James quickly assures her.

A smile twitching up on her lip, Lily sighs again.

"Then I suppose I can't deny a dying man this one request, can I?"

For a moment James is quiet, her words rolling around in his head before they click.

His smile could light every candle in the castle.

"You're-Are you messing with me?" He sits up, giving her a stern glare that wouldn't frighten even the most timid kitten. "Because if you are, that is not the way to treat a dying man, Ev-"

Lily lurches forward, her lips colliding with his, shoving him to his back and startling him so badly he doesn't even kiss back.

Pulling back, she straightens his glasses, brushes the hair from his face.

"Still dying?" She asks, feeling a bit breathless, more daring than usual.

James swallows, shakes his head, then frowns. "Unless that stops the kissing, then yes, still dying."

Laughing, Lily presses another kiss to his lips, and this time he responds enthusiastically.

"You should turn seventeen everyday," he mumbles, when they're both good and breathless.

Snuggling to his side and looking up at the diamond stars still twinkling overhead, Lily nods.

"I absolutely agree."


End file.
